The Almighty Jeans

In the world of tweets and rants it seems there are teachers out there who make it there mission to fight for so called “Jeans Days.” These are the days in which they are allowed to wear jeans to work. My first inkling is that if this is a battle worth fighting in your school, then you teach in a pretty sweet environment. But I must delve deeper into this need for jeans. You don’t have to look very far to see that Americans have become much more casual. I think the tipping point was with whichever lazy rocket scientist created the category loungewear (formerly pajamas). However, I’m not sure why we have to casual all the time. Many workplaces have also lessened their dress standards to allow for jeans, which admittedly can be made to look decent.

 My point in all of this prefacing my argument is this. When jeans become the norm or commonplace at work, there is always that group of people who have to test the slovenly waters. I’m sure all of you have that teacher or assistant who thinks their tailored sweatpants are acceptable with a hoodie. This person will likely double-down with slides and socks. I’ve seen it first hand on multiple occasions. This doesn’t mean we need to return to the days of suits and dresses for teachers, but you can’t demand to be treated like a professional while looking like the students. The rule of thumb in this blogger’s opinion, is to make sure that you are at least a step and a half better dressed than the gym teacher.

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Check out this topic's accompanying episode of The Free Thinking Teacher Podcast.